Stock-cutting machine



E. E. WINKLEY.

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16, 1916- 1 ,412,225 Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

13$HEETSSHEETI.

I {airy E. E. W| NKLEY.

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLKCATION men oer. 16. 1916.

1 41 2 225 I Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

13 $HEETSSHEET 2.

E. E. WINKLEY.

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1.6. 1-916.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

1-3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

jjzyagor: MM;

E. E. WINKLE'Y.

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICAUON FILED OCT. 16, 1916.

1,412,225.- v Patented p -11,1922.

l3 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

176M307": m {M vE. E. WINKLEY.

STOCK cunme MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16, 1916- Patented Apr. '11, 1922.

13 $HEETSSHEET 5...

E. E. WINKLEY.

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16, 191-6- 1,412,225.

13 SHEETS-SHEET 6- Patented Apr. 11, 1922.]

' E. E. WINKLEY.

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

.APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16, 1916.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

I3 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

3% mg m i E. E. WI NKLEY. STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1.6, 1916.

v Patented Apr. 11, 1922..

1.3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

E. E. WJNKLEY.

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 19l6- 1,412,225, v Patented Apr. 11, 1922 u sums-sum m. ,3

I y j f E. E. W|NKLEY.-

STOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.16,1916.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

13 SHEETS-SHEET ll.v ZZ'/j E. E. WINKLEY.

- ,SIOCK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16, 1916.

1, 11 2,225. Patentedp 11, 1922.

98 ,;Z Y 4 13 5HEETSSHEET l2.

EBASTUS-E. VIIN-KLEY; on LYNN, 'massaonusnrrs; a'ssienon, By 'MESNEASSIGN- r MENTS, T0 UNITED SHOE ACHINERY conromi'rromior rarnn'son, NEW JER-Q snx-Aco-nsoaamionor NEW'JERSEYL 1 1 1 1 I 'srocxmn'rmme luneHanan. V

Laiazea} '7 I T 71 whom it maycmzcem:

Be it known that I, ERAS'IUS E. YVINQKLEY, a citizen of the United States, resldlng at Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvementsin Stock-Cutting i chines; and I do hereby declare the followingto he ai ull, clear and-exact description of T L enable others appertnins to skillediin the art to which it make and usethe same.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting sheets or" material into unltorm' pieeesor strips by the repeated operation of cutting-instrnmentalities.

One object oi the'invention is to provide for thefretention and delivery of the cut pieces in a form convenient for transferring them iroinithe cutting-machine to other machines in u'hichthe cut pieces are subsequel fl utilized. To this end the present machine is provided with means by which the cut pieces are retained and delivered in stacked re ion w-ithlthe pieces lying in substantially ertical position and the stack extending horizontally. Since the sheets of material are mostcon've'niently fed 'to'the .(-utting-instrinnentalities .in 'substantially horizontal position this feature of the invention involves the use of'meansby Which each piece, ai ter cutting: is turned from a horizontal to a vertical position, prior to its intro-:luction to the stack 1 Another object of the invention is to proride against the inclusion; with the. perfect pieces, otthe piece first-cut from the end s which may be present in the k l age oit,.tlie sheet. To this end the niachiiie is provided with means for automatically separating the pieeefirst cut from (he pieves suhs qnently cut in order that the use of material may be economized, the machine is further provided with gagingineans operating automatically to gage the feed of the sheet so that. the piece first cut narrow piece-or trimming, of only suffident Width to insure the removal of the irregularities from the edge of the sheet.

Another object of the invention is to provide the inuvhineniiith teed-mechanism for advancing the sheet prierto each operation' of the-eutting-means, and to so orthe sheet andhaving, at one'e'dge, the- Specification of LettersEEatent. r "Patented Apr-111 1922. l"Application fi1ed:0ctob er 16, 191 6; i

Serial No. 125,977;

ganize and "construct the feed-mechanism; that it shall Ie'ed the sheetfcompletely;soas to utiliz'e it fully, With the exceptionjof" Lynn in the county of Essex-and State of the sheet. "For this purp0se' themachine comprises i eeding means normallyoperating to advance the sheet by-engagement with the inventiom such 7 as Will its lateral [surfacestogether with] auxiliary "feeding-ineans aclapte'd, p rio1- to th'e last operation of thecuttmgmeahs, to feed. the 1 I sheet byen'ga'g'ement @With itsrear edge, whereby the sheet nay be fed more completely than is possible by the useof the cilitate the adjustment of the machine to cut pieces of different sizes from the sheet- '70 eedi'iig-means into ,operatlon at the proper" material. Such adjustment involves changes,

in the positions of a plurality'of different instrnmentalities,these instruinentalities includlngy 1n the most complete embodiment of the invention, dehverytahle; theieiidstops 0r gages by which the ,width of the Y cut pieces is determined, and the feelers wh ch control the automatic mechanism for supplying the successive: sheets of material and to'the' foregoing end these several 1nstrumentalities. or a pluralityof them are so interconnected that they may be'ad usted simultaneously and proper; ionately*from' a single point, or by a single'inst'rumentality. v v

i lnother object of the invention'isftorpro ride. the machlne ivlth nieansgby Which-1t uay be conveniently andaccurately"adjustedw to produce pieces oft a plurality of pie l ternnned of graded sizes. 1T0 this end she machine isprovided with"gaging-means,v

hereinafter describech 't 'o Y in sett ng or ad ust ngflthe machlne forthe several sizes of thep1e4 estobe produced;

. Other 'olojects of theinvention,-aiidfthe features of c n a-mum by which they are attained, will be set forth hereinafter in connection with the followingfdescription of the V illustrated embodimentfof the invention.

In the accompanying drawingsFig. 1 is'a side-elevation of a machine,embodying the present/invention; Fig. 2 is an'elevation of- 9.5 assist the operator V the opposite side of the machine from that shown in Fig. 1, with one of the side-frames and adjacent parts of the machine removed to show the mechanism more clearly; Fig. 3 is a plan-view of the machine, with parts of the framework broken away; Fig. at is a front-elevation of the machine; Fig. 5 is a rear-elevation, with the sheet-supplying and feeding mechanism removed in section approximately on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3; Fig.

6 is a front-elevation, partly in vertical section, on a larger scale than the preceding figures, of parts of the mechanism for supplying and feeding the sheets of material; Fig. 7 is a vertical section approximately on the line 7-7 in Fig. 3, but on a larger scale than the latter figure; Fig. 8 is a bottomview of a portion of the sheet-supply mechanism, in section on the line 8-8 in Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is similar to a portion of Fig. 2, but with the parts shown on a larger scale and ma different position; Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view, with parts broken away, of the cam 'mechanism and clutch mechanism shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a vertical section approximately on the line 1111 in Fig. 3,

but on a larger scale than the latter figure; Fig. 12 is a partial vertical section, approximately on the line 1212 in Fig. 3 but on a larger scale; Fig. 13 is a fragmentary View showing, partly in vertical section, the auxiliary sheet-feeding means and ad acent parts; Fig. 14 is a front-elevation of the auxiliary feeding-means; Fig. 15 is a vertical section on the line 1515 in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary view similar to a portion of Fig. 12, but showing the parts in different positions; Fig. 17 is a front-elevation, partly in vertical section, of the automatic clutch-mechanism and the cam-media nism associated therewith; Fig. 18 is a detail-view, in side-elevation, of certain of the cam-mechanisms, in section on the line 18-18 in Fig. 17 and Figs. 19 and 20 are fragmentary views, in rear-elevation, showing, in different operative positions, the strip-transferring mechanism and particularly the means for adjusting the receiving-table and the end-stops.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine in which sheets of leatherboard or similar material are out automatically into straight-edged strips of uniform width, and in which these strips are then stacked in parallel relation upon a receivingtable. The stripsin question are intended for use in the manufacture of blocks from which shoe-heels are formed, and since such strips must be made in a variety of widths, the machine is provided with means for adjusting not only the length of feed, which determines the width of each strip, but also the height of the table on which the strips are stacked, and the position of the feelers which automatically determine the time when it is necessary to supply a fresh sheet of material to the cutting-instrumentalities. The machine is provided, further, with means for supplying sheets of material automatically one by one, as required. Since the operator, in adjusting the machine and removing the cut strips, stands at the part of the machine at which the strips are delivered and stacked, this part is herein referred to as the front of the machine, while the part at which the sheet-supplying mechanism is located is described as the rear of the machine.

The sheet-material is cut by means of an acute-edged knife 22, which is mounted on a horizontal cutter-beam 24 (Figs. 5 and 12). The beam is guided, at its ends, on rods 26 which are supported vertically in t as end-frames 28 of the machine, and the beam is reciprocated by rods 30 which connect its ends with crank-pins fixed in discs 32 on the ends of the drive-shaft 34 of the machine. This drive-shaft is provided with gears 36 which mesh with pinions 38 on a power-shaft 40, also journaled in the frame'of the machine, and the power-shaftis provided with a. pulley 42 by which it may be connected with any suitable source of power. The pulley is connected with the power-shaft by a clutch of any ordinary or suitable form, this clutch being controlled by a hand-lever l4, so that the machine'may be'conveniently started and stopped. 7

As shown particularly in Fig. 12, the knife 22 works against a surface which is provided by the edge of a strip or cutting-block d6 of suitable material, such as fibre-board, where by injury to the edge of the knife isprevented' This strip is supported, between thin clamp plates 48, upon a bar which, in turn, rests upon a fixed horizontal beam or frame-member 54. The bar 50 is removabiy attached to tween the clamp-plates, by introducing shims beneath the strip 46. or in any other convenient manner. I l

By the construction just described, a cut ting-bed is produced which is very narrow, being only of the width necessary to support the material directly beneath the knife. This feature is of value in the discharge of the waste-pieces cut from the ends of the sheet, since it permits these pieces to be discharged downwardly on either side of the bed, either by gravity or by means provided for the purpose.

In case of strips for use in the manufacture of shoe-heels, it is sometimes desirable that these strips be so formed that each strip has one square edge and one beveled edge, since the strips may be afterwards so assembled that the square edges together form the square breast-surfaces of the heel-blocks,

and 11).

while the beveled edges together form an inclined surface approximating to the inclination or pitch otthe back of the heel.

This formation of the, edges oi te secured, in the present machine, by the form of the knife which is employed. This knife. as illustrated, is beveled, on both faces, but the angle of its rear surface is greater than that or its forward surface. The exact angles necessary in the two bevels depend upon the consistency of the material upon which the machine is to operate but it has been found that in every case the result of producing one square edge and one beveled edge in the material at each cut 1S secured by providing the knife with two faces oev eled at different angles, whereas, it one face or" the knife be flat and the other face 'lieveled, the knitewhen-acting upon thick and tough material such asleatherboard, ill produce one POSIiJlVQlY-bGVGlQ (l edge and one negativelybeveled or undercutedge in table 58 but being pivoted to the latteron a.

transverse rod 62 so that it maybe swung downwardlv. as will be presently described.

The sheet is ted past the knife and against the end-stops by means adapted to engage and clamp the lateral marginal portions of the sheet. These means comprise, at each side of the table 58, a lower member 64 and an upper member 68, to engage the upper and lower surfaces respectively (Figs. 3 Thc'lower members are in the form of lugs projecting inwardly -from two slides 68'which move horizontally in guideways 70 located at'the sides of the table The upper teed-members 66 are in the form of toothed dogs. which are pivoted on-posts 72 projecting inwardliv from the "slides 68. A spring 74, coiled around each post 72, tends to rock the dog in'a dire'tion to swing its toothed end into engagement with the sheet-material; while thisinovement or" the dog is limited. when-no material is in place beneath the dog. by a stop pin 76 on the dog, which engages a corresponding lug on the post 7 2. p

The slides 68 are reciprocated constantly during the operation of the machine. by means of levcr arms 78 which are articulated, at their upper ends with the slides. and

are loosely iournaled. attheir lowerends, on

a rocl z-shatt 80 having bearings on'the frame of the machine. An arm 82 fixed on the rcam rlever 86 which turns freely strips roclnshaft is connectechby a rod as, with a upon a rod the machine.

Hum

88 mounted on the frame ot This cam-lever carries a; roller which on gages a path ina cam 90, and the cam is mounted on and rotated by the dr1veshaft 34.

The rocl'ring movements of the shaft 80, produced by the cam-mechanism ust de-f' scribed, are imparted to-two arms 92 which project upwardly from the rock-shaft, along side the respective arms 78 (Figs 5 and 11 7 V A curved link 94 is pivoted to each arm 78 and passes through the biturcatedupper end of thefcorresponding arm 92 and' beneath a pin 96'wl1ich is fix d transversely in the latter. A spring 98, seated in a oerforation in the arm 92. bears aga-instftlie yielding-1y against the pin. At its forward lower surface of the link,so as to press it end each link is providedwith a notch 100.

andan upwardly projecting extremity.

At the rearward movement of the arms 92,

the pins 96 slide along the links 9until they engage the hooked extremitiesof the links, whereupon further movement of the arms 92 is communicatedto the slides 68,

which are thus drawnto their invariable 5 rearmost positions IUPOD the return Orton ward movement of the arms 92. this move- .1

ment is transmitted to the links '94:, and thence to the slides 68. owin' to the fact that the springs 98 tendto retain the links in the position in which the notches 100 -are engaged by the pins 96. If there were no material to be fed, the slides 68' would thus participate fully in the movements-ofthe arms 92. However, when a sheet otmaterialis present, the forward movement of the slides 68 continues onlyuntil the end of the sheet engages the endstops56. Thereupon the resistance to further movement of the feed-mechanism results in the disengage ment of the pins96 fromthe 'notc'hes lOO, and the furtherforward movement of the arms 92 is idle. Uponthe succeeding re turirmovement of the arms 92,- however, the feed-slides 68 are again. drawn to their ro e invariable rearmost position as before; and

thus the mechanism is adapted-tofeed the sheet forward through a'spacedetermined wholly by the positio'nfo ffthe end-stops.

To prevent the feed-slides from moving" rearwardlvowing to their momentum. be-

vond the point -to which they are'carried by the arms 92, spring-pressed bufte'rs'l02 (Fig. ill) are mounted on the: gui'deways 70in position to engage and arrest the posts 72. This-viel'dingteed mechanism is 1 'not claimed specifically herein as it is disclosed and claimed in'a copending application Serial No.- 25,4l53 filed the present applicant.

While the feed-mechanism justdescribedy feeds :the sheet throughout the greater part May 3, 19151037 is incapable of feeding the or the sheet, in which enough may still remain to produce another u eful strip. Accordingly, supplementary fcedingmeans are provided for feeding this extremity, these means being shown articularly in Figs. 9, 12, 13, 14 and 15.

E? our pawls 104, with sharpened lower extremities, are mounted, on pivots 106, between brackets 107 which extend downwardly from a horizontal cross-beam 108, this beam forming a member of the stationary frame of the machine. The extremities of the pawls rest against the upper surface of the sheet of material, and the pawls thus act as retaining-devices to prevent retrograde movement of the sheet during the return-movement of the feed-dogs 66. These pawls also perform the further function of acting automatic means for throwing into operation the supplementary feedingmoans above referred to. The pawls are held in engagement with the work both by gravity and by the action of springs 110 attached to them.

The final teed-movement is imparted to the sheet by the engagement, with its rear end or edge, of four pushers 112, each of which is a sociated with one of the pawls 104. Each pusher is in the form of a bar, which is supported, in horizontal position, by pivotal connections with two parallel arms 114 and 118. The arm 114 swings loosely upon a stud 116 in the rear of the pivot-stud 106. while the arm 11S swings loosely upon the stud 106 and constitutes one arm of a bell-crank lever. of which the other arm 120 is connected, by a short link, shown in Fig. 13, with a vertical slide rod 122. The upper ends of the rods 122 are engaged and pressed downwardly by springs 124, which are mounted on studs supported on the frame-member 108, as shown in digs. and 12.

The hub at the upper end of the arm 114 is provided with a lug 126adapted to co operate with a shoulder on a detent 128, which is pivoted between the brackets which support the studs 106 and 116. This detent is pushed downwardly by a spring, but it cooperates, at its right-hand end, with a trip 130 which is pivotally mounted on the pawl 104, as shown particularly in Fig. 15, the trip being controlled by a spring which tends to swing its upper end to the left.

The normal position of the parts just described is shown in Fig. 12. In this position the arms 114 and 118 are swung to the left, and are retained in this position by engagement of the lug 126 with the detent 128, the pusher112 being thereby held in retracted position, and also raised clear of the path of movement of the material, while the slide-rod 122 is in its raised position.

When, in the normal operation of feeding the material, the material has been advanced; to such an extent that its rear end has passed beyond the pawl 104, as shown in Fig. 13,

the pawl is swung downwardly and rearwardly by the spring 110, and this causes the trip 130 to push upwardly on the right-hand end of the detent 128, thereby raising the detent and releasing the lug 126. Thereupon the spring 124 forces the slide-rod 122 downwardly, causing the arms 114 and 118 to swing to the right and advance the pusher 112 into engagement with the edge of the sheet, so as to push it firmly into engagement with the end-stops 56, notwithstanding the fact that it has been removed beyond the range of movement of the feed-dogs 66. In this manner the sheet is economically uti lized to its fullest possible extent, and only a narrow waste-piece is left at the rear edge or end, if any.

Qwing to the fact that each pusher is advanced independently by spring-action, each pusher accommodates itsel to the portion of the edge of the sheet which is in position to be engaged by it, and thus all of the pushers may act simultaneously on the sheet notwithstanding any irregularities in the shape and the angle of the edge.

To provide for the return of the supplementary feed-mechanism to its normal position, an arm 131 is fixed to the upper end ofeach of the slide-rods 122. These arms overhang a flange on the rear surface of the cutter-beam 24, as shown in Fig. 12, and on the subsequent rise of the beam, the sliderods are accordingly raised, thus swinging the arms 114 and 118 rearwardly and bringing the lugs 126 into co-operative relation with the detents 128. Upon the introduction, beneath the pawls 104, of the next sheet of material, they swing to the right, and the trips 130 yield and move idly past the ends of the detents to their normal position beneath the detents, the movement of the trips to the left being limited by a stop-pin 132,

shown in Fig. 15. I

After the last possible strip has been severed from the sheet, it is necessary to discharge, separately f om the severed strips, the waste-piece remaining at the end of the sheet. This waste-piece may be of more or less width, but in any case, owing to the narrow surface of the cutting-bed, it will fall clear of the cuttingbed, even when of the minimum width shown in Fig. 13, since it is dislodged by the action of the knife. It is necessary, however, in order to permit the waste-pieces to fall and be discharged, that the pivoted table 60 be swung downwardly,

and for this purpose, the table is connected, by a rod 134, (Figs. 5 and 9) with a bellcrank lever 136, which is mounted on the rod 88. This lever carries a roller 137 which engages a cam 138 on the cam-shaft 34.

The downward movement of the table is produced by gravity. assisted by a spring 139 which is attached to the lever 136, and

the cam 138moves the table positively to its normal raised position. Since the table also integral. The sleeve is mounted toturn loosely upon the cam-shaft 34, and is normally stationary. The sleeve is connected with the shaft however, by a clutch of the Horton type, which is so well known that it need not be particularly described. It'will be understood that this clutch has frictionrollers a dapted to rotatably connect its two elements, of which the inner one 146 is mounted on the end, of the sleeve 144, while the outer element 148 is fixed to theshaft by set-screws, as shown in Fig. 17. The .friction-rollers are normally held out of operation by means comprising a controller-ring 152, this ring'being provided, as shown in Fig. 10, with a shoulderwhich cooperates with a detent 154. The detentis pivoted on the frame of the machine, and is held in operative position by a spring 156 connected to its upper end. When the 'detent is momentarily disengaged, from the controllerring, the clutch operates to impart a single rotation to the sleeve 1 44 and the 5 cams thereon, and is then arrestedagain by the engagement of the detent with theshoulder.

The detent is tripped bypower derived from the constantly rotating clutch-member 148. For thispurpose thedetent is con nected, by a link l58, with a trip160, which is'pivotally mountedon a lever 162; This lever swings upon the rod 88 and is provided with a roller 164 which engagesthe pcriph cry of a cam 150 formed integral with the clutclrmember 148. A'spring 166 tends to hold the roller iii engagement with the camsurface, and at each rotation of thecam, the roller, when it encounters a low pointin the cam-su rface,.asshown inFigi 9, permits the lever 162-, if otherwiseffree, to swing toward theshaft 34, thus bringingthe trip 160 with in the path of movement-of a pin 168 which projects from the. clutch member 148.' The pin swings thetrip to the left. and thus,

throughthe link 158, rocks the detent 1 54 momentarily lint-o inoperative position.

This trippingaction does. not occur, how;

" ever,atevery rotationof the cam 15O,owing to the fact that the lever 162 is normally held f' n;.- a e l p sit n. y means. x a e s 9 [the ca m, as will be now described.

ie 'der reads "as operative! at t e frames are supported in adjustable stationary,

machine as fully as possible automatic, the machine isprovided"With autbinatic con trolling-means comprising feelers which move into position. to engage the sheet of material'after each feeding-mov em en'tthereof. 7 0 In case the sheet has been so'far consumed 7 asto have'passed beyond the point ofoperation' of the feelers, the feelers detect that fact, and thereupon set into motioiniiot only the mechanism for ejectingthe waste-piece, as just described, but also mechanistic? supplying a fresh sheet of material. e

The feelers 170,- just refered'tmare two in number (Figs. 5, 9, and 16), and'they are formed by bendingv forwardly and (away; wardly the lower portions'of two ro'f-ris 172, of whichthe main portions-are vertical and arearranged to slide in the upper and lower ends of yoke-shaped frames 174. These posit-ion by means hereinafter described F iXed to each feeler-rod 172 is afforwardly projecting horizontal arm 1 7 6, whic'li is'pi voted to a block 178 seated in a horizontal slot formed in the side of a head 180 Each head 180 is fixed on a rod 182which'slides, vertically in, bearings on the stationary frame-member 108. Therods182' are pivot:

ed, at their upper ends, to the horizontal arms of bell-cranklevers 184 (Fig. 5), and-the vertical arms'of'these levers are corinecte'dfby rods 186, with the upper and lower ends. respectively, of a compensating lever 1'88. The compensating-lever is pivoted, at themiddle, to one arm of a bell-crank lever 190, which'is mounted on the frameof the machine, and the other arm the lever 190 is pivoted to a 'vertlcal rod; 192,""wh1ch depends at one side of the machine; Thelower end of the rod'192 is'connected, by a '7 short lever 194, with a rod 196, (Figs. 5 and 9), while the lower 'endof the rod 196 is piv oted to the cam-lever 162. i i

' At. each rotation of the'cam 150, when the low point of its surface encounters the roller .11 0 164 as in Fig. 9,1if there be material beneath the ends of both of the feelers 170, the feelers and the rods 172- are retained in raised p0 sition, and, through the arms 176 and the heads 180 the rods 182 are'retained in'1'1 5 raised position. The i positive connection between these last-named rods and the camlever 162, byway of thesyst'em of levers and 1 rods above described, causes the cam-lever,

accordingly,"to befsupported' in raised positi n, when the 'r'oller164'is disengaged by the cam-surface, sothat the detent154 is not tripped, and the Horton clutch remains in operative; If, on th6' 0tl161 hand, thesheet' ofmaterial isl'sofarexhaustedthatlitlhas lzs been 'drawnientirely beyond the feelers the feelers descend .into'openings in the-ply 1 e oted table 60, asshownfinfFigiti, permitting 'thejncam-lever 162 to fall, and cause-the w 7 7 eleteh be eh e i sens ive'T ee action occurs even if, owing to irregularities in the edge of the sheet of material, one feeleronly is permitted to descend while the other arm is supported upon, the sheet. in such a case the compensating lever l88 permits the bell-crank lever 190 to swing, regardless of the fact that one of the feelers is still. supported by the material.

The machine is provided, as before indicated, with means for supporting a stack of sheets of material, and for supplying these sheets, one by one, as required, to the feedtable 58 and into the range. of operation oi the feed-dogs 66. These means are located at the rear of the machine as shown partic ularly in Figs. 1 and 2.

The stack of material is supported upon a supply-table in the form of a horizontal frame comprising parallel longitudinal members 198 and parallel. cross-members 200 (Figs. 3, 6, 7 and 8). The material rests upon the longitudinal members 1.98, and automatirall y supported in such a. position that the uppermost sheet is just above the level of the feed-tablc 53, as shown in Fin. 7.

The sheets are removed from the top of the stack, and deposited upon the feed-table, by means of members 20% which may be designated as supply-dogs. hese dogs have sharpened extremities which are directed forwardly and pressed against the upper surface of the sheet-material. The dogs are fixed, in pairs, to parallel slide-bars 206 which are provided, at their forward ends, with convex runners 208 adapted to slide upon the surface of the material. At their rear ends the slide-bars of each pair are connected, by a pivot 210, with a rod 212 which is pivoted to the lower end of an arm 214:. The arms are fixed to a sleeve 216 which turns loosely upon a shaft 218. This shaft extends transversely above the suppl vtable, being supported by hearings in brackets 220 and 222 (Fig. 6) which are themselves supported by means hereinafter described.

The supply-dog's are actuated through rocking movements imparted to the sleeve 216. For this purpose a yoke 224i is fixed to one end of the sleeve, so as to span the bracket 222, and the yoke has a reaiwvardly extending arm 226 which is connected, by a rod 228, with a lever 230 (Fig. 2,) this lever being pivoted on a rod 231 which constitutes part of the machine frame. The forward end ofthe lever 236 is connected, by a rod 232, with a cam-lever 234 (l 10), this lever being provided with a roller 23?) which engages a. path in the side of the cam 142 above referred to. In consequence of this arrangement the supply-dog's are actuated in aforward direction and then Ieturned to their normal position once at each operation of the Horton clutch.

After a sheet has been supplied from the stack it is necessary to raise the stack in order to bring the next sheet to the level of the feed-table, and for this purpos means are provided. for ng the supply-table automatically through distance equal to the thickness of the sheets. The supplytable is supported by two vertical screwthreaded rods 236 at the sides of the table, these rods having stepped bearings (Fig. 1) at their lower ends which rest upon the floor. At their upper ends the rods 236 have hearings in the brackets 220 and 222, and are provided with collars 24:0 upon which these bl'ilCkGQS rest. the brackets being therefore supported by the rods 23%. The supply-table is provided, at each side, with a sleeve 242 which embraces the corresponding rod 236. and each sleeve is cut ay at the inside to admit a halt-nut 2%, u Mich threaded to mesh with the threads on the rod. The supply-table is thus supported, through the sleeves and the nuts, upon the rods 236, and by rotation of? the rods the table may be raised when necessary The rods 236 are rotated automatically, at the proper time, by mechanism controlled by a foot which rests on. the top of the stack. For the purpose o't so l'OtEttlDg' the rods, they are connected at their upper ends,

' through bevel-gears 2.4.6, with the shaft 218,

so that they may be rotated in unison by this shaft. led to the shaft is a ratchet wheel 24:8 (Figs. 6 and 7) which is actuated by a pawl 250, pivotally mounted on an arm This arm is loosely pivoted on the shaft 21.8, and is connected, by a rod 254:, with a bell-crank lever (Figs. 1. and 2) wh ch is mounted on a bracket projecting the frame-member 108. The bell 'ank lever is connected, by a link 258, with sitter-beam 24-, so that at each reciprocaion of the beam the arm 252 is swung about he shaft 218.

The operation of the pawl 250 is controlled by a shield 260, which engages the end oi. the pawl. This shield is mounted on an arm 252, which loosely pivotedon the shaft 218, and the pawl may or may not be operative noon the ratchet-wheel according as the shield moved out of or into a position in which it can hold the pawl free from the ratchet wheel throughout the en the range of movement of the pawl.

The position of the shield is controlled lVhenevc-r the uppermost sheet is in the position shown in Fig. 7, the foot 272 is held in a position such that the shleld 260 renders the pawl entirely inoperative, but upon the withdrawal of a sheet the foot falls, andthus permits the pawl a range of effective opera; tion which is proportionate to 'the-th'ickness of the sheet and the distance through which the foot has fallen, so that the stack is autonatically raised to a distance equal to the] thickness of the sheet which has been withdrawn.

To facilitate the application of a'stac k ofv material to the supply-table, means are provided by which the table may be released and permitted to fall to its lowermost position. For this purpose the half-nuts 244 are mounted, as shown in Fig. 8, on arms 274 i which are pivoted alongsidethesleeves 24:2;

Thesearms are connected by rods 276, with two arms of a threearmed lever 278,wh1ch 1s mountedon a stud 2801 at the, middlefof the table. A. spring 282,2.ttached to the lever 278, tends to rock it in a direction to pull the rods 276 inwardly,;as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8, but the parts are normally re} tained with the nuts in engagement with the rods 236 For this purpose the third arm 284 of the lever is arrangedto-cooperate with a latch 286 which is pivoted beneath the supplytable. The latch is provided with a handle 288, however, and when this handle is raised the lever 27 8 i'sreleased, and the nuts 244 disengage the rods 236, whereupon the table falls. Thev latch is' retained normally.

in operative position 'by, a spring 290, and

bufier-springs 292 (Fig. 1.) are coiled around when, the supply-table falls.' I After the materialhas been placed upon the supply-table, the table may beraised, to

bring the uppermost sheet to the level of" the feedtable, by turning the shaft 218, and for this purpose one end of the shaft is squared, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, to' receive a hand-crank i i The machine is provided with mechanism by which it is automatically stopped whenever the supply of sheet-material upon the si1pply table has become exhausted. For this purpose one of the slide-bars 2.06 (Fig. 7)

upon which the supply'dogsare mounted, is

arrangedto cooperate with a 'releasing-mech-j anism for the drive-clutch through which the power shaft 4 0 .is actuated;- This releasing-mechanismis engaged by the slidefbar whenever, owing to the ab'senceof asheet otmaterial, the slide-barisjn'ot supported inits normal elevated position as shown in Fig. 7 it longsi'de the paths of movement :ofthe slide-bars, horizontal gi'iide rods 294 are mounted, therear ends of. these rodsgbeing prises a lever 302 Which is mounted, as shown the lower parts of the rods236 toprevent jar and is then returned to and held in operative but in the absence of a sheet of materialthe pinslrest upon the rods andthus support the slide-bars and prevent injurious engagement of the supply-dogs with the teed-table 58. The release-mechanism for the clutch comin Figs..3 and 7, upon a vertical pivot 304 in a bracketfixed to the guiderods 294 at one side of. the machine. One arm ofthe lever 302 is so located that it is engaged by a lug 300 extending forwardly from one of the slide-bars 206 whenever'the slide-bar is in the position in which the pin 298 restsupon Y the guide-rods.

During the normal operation of the masition above the arm of the lever 302, 50. as to clear. the latter. In the' abs ence of a sheet of material, however, the'lugengagesithe lever, at the extremity of the forward move ment of the slidehar and rocks it. This movement is transmitted from the lever, throughv a rod306, to'an armBOS-fixed on the upper endoi a rock-shaft 310, thisshaft beingmounted in bearings onthe frame of the machine. An arm 312, fixed to the lowerend of therock-shaft, is connectedwith allatch 314 which is-slidable into and out of position to engag the hand-lever 4% 'by' which the" A spring 316, attached to the fhand-lever,

tends to swing it in a direction to release the.

clutch, and this movement isnormally prevented by the latcl'r 'l l. The latch is re:

machine is first started into operation the hand-lever, the latch is retracted manually,

position bye spring 317 coiled around, and connected to, the rock-shaft 810; i Th e stop-mechanism just describedwill operate not'onlywhen' the material on the.

supplyrtable is exhausted, but also in case 11, i

the supply- -dogs iail, 1":or any-reason, to seize and advance a sheet at th'e propertime;

In 'order th at the strips cut by the present machine may be conveniently and expe'di tiously transferred from the mach ineandin- 1.1;:- troduced. intdanothern achine infwli'ich they arefed automatically, the: present chine is provided with means forarranging and holding the out strips" ina stack, and for V i thesup'port oif thisstacl'r-ahorizontal.receivg 12.0 ing-table 318'isproyided at'the front-ofthe machine, the. stackedstrips resting 'edgewisc upon'this table. The forwarld "end ofthe.

chine,when the slidesha'rs are supported on a' sheet of material, the lug 300is held in a po- V a 3: i a drive-clutchiscontrolled, as above described.

10 9 tra'cted, however, by the movement imparted by the slide-bar as just described. When the stack maybe supportedeitheryby-a weighted I follower or by'aifew ofthe tripsniciu n, 1.2 5. ach rk h viijf r g f n '12-. The jrear en d, of the stack is "supportedpbyf 11 retaining tingersP320 .'and" 322;gflTheQfingers r 320.: are in theformhof elongated resilientt; eripsg xged i mega th l ri' lda.

6 supported" on braces 296 1 which connect the brackets 220' and'222with the main frameof I the machine. -Th'e slide-bars arefprovided, at their ends, with'pi'n's 298=whichproject over.,the,guicle;nods ,These pinsfare nor me ly.he whenfd ste e iahe sthe-ir ns; 

